Does size matter?

Specialties CRNA

Published

I have found three hospitals that I am interested in working to get critical care experience. Two of the hospitals have 200 beds, and one hospital is 750 beds. The big hospital is also a "teaching hospital" and a "Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).". All three hospitals have critical care units, and I am sure that they each have plenty of cases.

My question is does it does the size of the hospital, does a designation as a "teaching hospital" matter, does it matter that it has a designation "Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).", or is the only thing that matters that you get experience in a busy critical care unit?

I appreciate your reply Dave. It shows the wisdom of experience.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

the teaching hospital, 750 beds and magnet status is my opinion. if you just put the hospital name down...they'll recognise it, or they should. i did 3 in a private hospital first and 22 in a teaching hospital, medical school,university affiliation and there is no comparison. you do have to "put up" with residents :) but you learn right along with them. the big teaching hospital!!is my recommendation.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
......if a patient is extremly injured and sick( life threatening situation)- why would they consider taking him to a small hospital. That patient would require state of the art technology.......

Beauty, this is just a side note (I'd concur: experience at a major university facility would seem best for a prospective CRNA student's CV).

This is why they'd take him to a small hospital: Out here in the boonies, particularly the stretched-out blue horizon boonies of the American West, you may be hundreds of miles from a trauma center. Yes, transport of a victim to a trauma center must be arranged expeditiously -- but first stabilize the patient. At ... a small hospital!

One major peripheral function of CRNAs in rural areas is trauma stabilization before transport. You know the Golden Hour concept, no doubt. Stabilization with airway management, IVs, blood volume replacement, etc, help extend the Golden Hour, and hopefully increase the victim's chance of survival. CRNAs serve three quarters of the rural hospitals in America.

I'm betting you are maybe a city person?

deepz

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sorry- i disagree....i think you should work where you will be happiest because then and only then will you learn...

i have found that the majority of teaching hospitals only provide for a cut-throat, me-before-you atmosphere and i was never interested in that type of environment. i was accepted to a great program, the only one i applied to and i have never worked (as an employee) of a teaching hospital - i have done stints as agency.....

but i can tell you that the mentality is pervasive that others will likely step on you to get ahead in a teaching hospital...as a matter of fact...one of our clinical groups has already had a problem with one of their own doing such a thing to them....guess where that student was from....yep - a "teaching" hospital...i always wonder exactly what it is they are teaching......

jus tmy 2 cents.

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Go for the teaching hospital. I've worked in ICU's in both a small community hospital (Approx. 60 beds) and a large teaching hospital (Currently licensed for 585 beds.). The university hospital is giving me way more experience in months compared to the 3 years (Total of a year and a half as an RN...year and a half as ancillary staff.) I spent in the small community hospital.

In regards to the Magnet designation, that is just a designation that is given for great staffing ratios, on paper. It does not reflect day to day staffing issues. The hospital is supposed to be a "Magnet" for nurses....in other words people are knocking down the doors to go work there.

Good luck to you.

Donn C.

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.
Sorry, my mind must be in the gutter today, because when I read the title of this thread, "Does Size Matter?" I shouted out HELL YEAH! ;)

:rotfl:

Great minds think alike!

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......if a patient is extremly injured and sick( life threatening situation)- why would they consider taking him to a small hospital. That patient would require state of the art technology.......

Beauty, this is just a side note (I'd concur: experience at a major university facility would seem best for a prospective CRNA student's CV).

This is why they'd take him to a small hospital: Out here in the boonies, particularly the stretched-out blue horizon boonies of the American West, you may be hundreds of miles from a trauma center. Yes, transport of a victim to a trauma center must be arranged expeditiously -- but first stabilize the patient. At ... a small hospital!

One major peripheral function of CRNAs in rural areas is trauma stabilization before transport. You know the Golden Hour concept, no doubt. Stabilization with airway management, IVs, blood volume replacement, etc, help extend the Golden Hour, and hopefully increase the victim's chance of survival. CRNAs serve three quarters of the rural hospitals in America.

I'm betting you are maybe a city person?

deepz

Deepz,

I apprecaite your input- but from where i'm from( Yes, a big city)- the stabilization process takes place on the Helicpoter- in route to a Big teaching, trauma center. Airway , hemodynamics, IV's etc... is usually already done when the patient arrives to our TRU ( Trauma Resusitation Unit). 96% Survival Rate in the trauma center that I work.

I do not have experience in rural areas (stretched out boonies)- so i'm not familiar with the process. I'm not bashing small hospitals. In my opinion, teaching hospitals provides a wider range of patients to learn from. Some nurses that work in my IMC have been able to go to small community ICU's and perform well. :)

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